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Comment by HWR_14 | Hacker News Reader

Ikea has different quality levels. You probably default to thinking about the MDF furniture which can never be successfully moved to a new place and is cheapish and breaks. That's what most people think of, and I believe how they started. But they also have 100% wood or steel framed furniture that while not fancy is durable and has a nice design.

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I dunno if they have different designs in different regions, but even the "cheap" stuff on ikea feel a lot better than equivalent price cheap stuff from other stores.

Like their MDF stuff feels more solid/denser? I don't know how to explain it.

It's possible their MDF is really HDF, which is literally the same thing but denser.

I kin the US at least, IKEA’s cheapest stuff is usually particle board, not MDF (which would probably actually be a step up). They also have this weird cardboard honeycomb with a very thin layer of mdf on top that they use for their cheapest desktops and the infamous Lack side tables.

As much as people joke about breaking up over building ikea furniture, it's almost always easier to assemble than other furniture at a similar price point

That's fascinating because I have the complete opposite experience. Flat pack stuff from eg Wayfair or Target is way more annoying to assemble compared to the Ikea versions of the same, which just feels like it has more thought put it into it on how to assemble it.

You’re in agreement with the parent comment; I lean furniture is comparatively easy to assemble.

Very little is 100% wood, mostly because it doesn’t need to be. The best mid century furniture is typically veneered. That said the Stockholm range from IKEA comes with a 20 year guarantee and is vastly better than almost anything sold by supposedly “proper” chain furniture stores. IKEA know a lot about how and why things break and wear.

MDF is considered premium now, when they even substitute screws with plastic.

> But they also have 100% wood

Yeah, the bed I'm sleeping in is something like 20 years old, has gone through 3 moves (plus one where it wasn't dismantled) and is from Ikea. It's a full wood and is quite sturdy. I guess my parents paid what was needed for quality stuff.

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